Crabtree takes step in comeback from Achilles injury

As 49ers players walked off the practice field today in Santa Clara, they encountered a welcome sight: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree catching passes from a team trainer.

Crabtree was moving laterally between two orange cones, set up about 10 yards apart. He seemed to move well as he snagged short passes from the trainer and flipped the footballs back to him.

Not surprisingly, Crabtree wasn’t eager to talk about this latest step in his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon.

“I’m just working, bro,” he said in the locker room afterward. “I’m grinding extra hard.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh praised Crabtree, fellow wide receiver Mario Manningham and the other injured players who have gone through “grueling rehabilitation” in their efforts to return to the field. Manningham, trying to come back from torn knee ligaments, resumed practicing with the 49ers this week.

Tight end Vernon Davis, asked his reaction to seeing Crabtree on the field catching passes, said, “It was awesome watching him. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for him — you don’t expect to tear your Achilles in mini-camp. He’s a huge presence in our offense. He’s a playmaker who gets the team going. He’s just one of those guys you want on your team.”